Knitting machine



K. DORRER KNITTING MACHINE,

' Filed July 28, 1955 Sept. 9, 1958 KNITTING MACHINE Karl Diirrer, Gelcnau, Germany, assignor to Forschungsinstitut fiir Textiitechnologie, Karl-Marx-Stadt, Germany Application July 28, 1955, Serial No. 524,850 Claims priority, application Germany October 16, 1954 17 Claims. (CI. 66-82) This invention relates to knitting machines, and more particularly to the lubrication of the draw cam or Coulier cam of a straight bar knitting machine;

It is an object of the invention to provide a device by means of which the application of the lubricant to the draw cam of a straight bar knitting machine and the roller cooperating therewith is assured.

' Another object of the invention is to avoid waste of the lubricant in the lubrication of draw cams of straight bar knitting machines, especially to avoid the seeping of the lubricant into draw cam hearings or the flowing or splashing of the lubricant onto parts of the knitting machine, such as the draw lever or portions of the frame, which do not require any lubrication.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for lubricating the draw cam of a straight bar knitting machine, by means of which the throwing of oil drops onto the floor is avoided and the draw cam receives just that amount of oil which is needed.

Another object of the invention is to obtain a uniform and continuous lubrication of the draw cam of a straight bar knitting machine.

A further object of the invention is to provide a lubrication for the draw cam of a straight bar knitting machine, which avoids the soiling of parts arranged near to the draw cam.

Another object of the invention is to improve on the art of lubricating draw cams of straight bar knitting machines as now customarily in use.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description thereof in connection with the accompanying drawings showing, by way of example, an embodiment of the present invention. In the drawings:

The only figure is a perspective view of a device for lubricating the draw cam of a straight bar knitting machine according to the invention.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, a relatively small container or tank generally denoted by 1 is arranged on suitable base members 11 and 12 supported by the floor (not shown) of the factory or the frame (not shown) of a knitting machine. According to the embodiment shown in the drawing the tank 1 arranged below the draw cam or Coulier cam 4 of the straight bar knitting machine has a substantially rectangular cross-section. The tank 1 may be filled almost up to the upper rim portion 13 thereof with a lubricant 17 such as oil. The tank 1 is open at the upper end thereof. A pair of rails or bars 3 extending substantially parallel to the front and rear walls 14 and 15, respectively, of the tank or container 1 is mounted on a side wall 16 thereof. Said rails form guiding members for a float 2, preferably of cylindrical shape, floating in the oil filling the tank 1. If desired, a similar pair of parallel rails or the like (not shown) may be provided opposite to the rails 3 so as to form guiding means for the other end portion (not shown) of the float 2.

The cylindrical float 2 is arranged in such a manner below the draw cam 4 of the knitting machine that its States Patent 9 longitudinal axis is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the shaft (not shown) carrying the draw cam 4 and that the center of the float 2 is exactly below the axis of rotation of the draw cam at such a distance from said axis that during a rotation of the draw cam 4 in the direction of the arrow A the highest point of said draw cam urges the float 2 slightly downward into the lubricant 17 against the uplift.

The width of the tank 1 and, thus, the length of the cylindrical float 2 is larger than the width of the rim 18 of the draw cam 4.

Preferably a strip 5 made of a porous material, such as a fabric, sponge rubber, or the like and being of a width substantially equal to the width of the rim 18 of the cam 4 is arranged in taut condition on the cylindrical surface of the float 2. The strip 5 is arranged below the rim portion 18 of the draw cam 4 so that it may engage the circumference of the latter at a predetermined point or portion thereof.

The lubrication of the draw cam of a straight bar knitting machine according to the invention is as follows:

The tank 1 is filled with a lubricant 17 such as oil to such an extent that at least the highest point of the draw cam 4 may engage and urge slightly downwardly the cylindrical float 2 swimming on the surface of the lubricant and being placed in position between the guiding members 3. During each revolution of the draw earn 4 in the direction of the arrow A the highest point of the cam 4 or the area near to the highest point of the cam 4 causes a slight depression of the float 2 into the lubricant 17. During this procedure the float 2 rolls along the highest portion of the rim 18 whereby, by means of the strip 5, a sufficient amount of the lubricant is applied to the circumference of the cam 4. The rollers (not shown) cooperating with the circumference of the rotating draw cam 4 assure a uniform distribution of the lubricant along the circumference of the cam 4.

The thickness of the film of a lubricant (oil) applied to a portion of the draw cam 4 by the float 2 may be readily regulated by the use of above described strip 5 of a fabric and/or by a more or less deep depression of the float 2 into the lubricant.

The lubrication of the draw cam according to the invention eliminates a soiling of adjacent parts with lubricant, such as the draw cam bearings, the draw lever, portions of the frame of the knitting machine, or the like. The tank 1 has a'favorable small size. Also the consumption of oil is reduced by the arrangement according to the invention which is at a ratio of 1:12 to the oil consumption of hitherto known devices for lubricating the draw cam of a straight bar knitting machine.

I have described hereinbefore a preferred embodiment of means for lubricating the draw cam of a straight bar knitting machine. It should be understood, however, that many changes, substitutions of equivalents, and alterations of parts will be feasible without departing from the gist and spirit of my invention, my invention being defined by the appended claims.

For example, the device according to the invention may also be applied to the lubrication of a cam or cams of knitting machines other than the draw cam of a straight bar knitting machine.

Furthermore, the width of the strip 5 may be smaller than the width of the rim of the cam.

What I claim is:

1. In a straight bar knitting machine, the arrangement of: a rotatable draw cam, a container arranged below said draw cam, said container being capable of being filled with a lubricant, and a float floating on said lubricant upon filling of said container, said float being in a predetermined relation to said draw cam, and the distance between the upper surface of said float and the axis of rotation of said draw cam being shorter than the distance between the highest point of said draw cam and said axis of rotation so that during every rotation of the draw cam the area including the highest point of said draw cam may engage and urge downwardly said float against the uplift whereby lubricant may be applied to said draw cam by said float.

2. In a straight bar knitting machine as claimed in claim 1, means engaged with said float'for'holding same in a predetermined position below said draw cam.

3. In a straight bar knitting machine as claimed in claim 2, said means being mounted on said container.

4. In a straight bar knitting machine as claimed in claim 1, said float being of cylindrical shape.

5. In a straight bar knitting machine as claimed in claim 4, and guiding means on said container for holding said cylindrical float in its position.

6. In a straight bar knitting machine as claimed in claim 4, the longitudinal axis of said cylindrical float being below and substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of said draw cam.

7. In a Straight bar knitting machine as claimed in claim 4, the center of said float being below-the axis of rotation of said draw cam.

8. In a straight bar knitting machine as claimed in claim 1, a strip of porous material being arranged around said float for cooperation with the highest area of said draw cam.

9. In a straight bar knitting machine as claimed in claim 8, said strip being made of a fabric.

10. In a straight bar knitting machine as claimed in claim 8, said strip being made of sponge rubber.

11. In a straight bar knitting machine as claimed in claim 8, said float being of cylindrical shape, and the width of said strip being shorter than the length of said cylindrical float.

12. In a straight bar knitting machine as claimed in claim 11, the width of said strip being substantially equal to the width of the rim of said draw cam.

13. In a knitting machine, the arrangement of: at least one rotatable cam, a container arranged below said cam, said container being capable of being filled with a lubricant, and a float floating on said lubricant upon filling of said container, said float being in a predetermined relation to said cam, and the distance between the upper surface of said float and the axis of rotation of said cam being shorter than the distance between the highest point of said cam and said axis of rotation so that during every rotation of the cam the area including the highest point of said cam may engage and urge downwardly said float against the uplift whereby lubricant may be applied to said cam by said float.

l4. 'In a knitting machine as claimed in claim 13, said float being of cylindrical shape.

15. In a knitting machine as claimed in claim 14, the center of said float being below the axis of rotation of said cam.

16. In a knitting machine as claimed in claim 14, a strip of porous material being arranged around said float for cooperation with the highest area of said cam.

17. 'In a knitting machine as claimed in claim 16, the width of said strip'being substantially equal to the width of the rim of said cam.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

